Winchester Legacy Stories
by Tidia
Summary: Brotherhood AU Future series. Featuring the Winchester Brothers, Caleb and the next generation of The Brotherhood.
1. Winchester Legacy: New Words

New Words

By: Tidia

Beta: That Girl Six (I did add some stuff after she looked at it so errors that remain are mine)

Disclaimer: This is future Brotherhood fluff

Notes: This is based on my brother in some ways. Uncle Dean with his niece Mary fluff. Enjoy and Happy 4th of July. I am off on vacation!

Dean was the last one left in the house. Juliet had already left with a quick kiss and "I'll be home for dinner so don't touch the slow cooker".

The boys were in school—James in pre-K, but he still said it was school—not expecting him for pickup until 3PM because Ben was doing track after school and could not pick up his brothers. This would be the last year he could rely on Ben to pick up the boys before the kid went off to college.

He had just grabbed his keys, tucked his cell phone in his pocket, and was heading out to the shop. His shop was known as the best, but there were only so many cars that needed to be fixed. He had an oil change and a brake job coming in today as far as he remembered.

His cell phone chirped his brother's melody. "Hey, Sam," he answered.

_"Dean, I need your help. Please don't say no."_

Dean could not recall a time he ever said no to his brother, especially of late with Lidia gone and Sam dealing with Mary on his own. It had been over a year now, and Sam was doing a great job of being a single parent, but his brother was panicking. "Slow down, Sammy, what's up?"

_"I have a meeting that I have to go to. I totally forgot about the curriculum change. No one is around to take care of Mary. I called Carolyn, but Josie is sick and she doesn't want Mary to get it, too. She has a point, but it isn't like Mary is not going to get it eventually . . . I thought I had another week. I have a nanny coming but not until school officially starts in three weeks. . ."_

There were some days he wished his brother was just blunt with what he wanted. "Do you need me to watch Mary for you?"

_"Yes," _Sam sighed in relief that could be heard over the phone.

"Okay, not a problem," Dean agreed. It was easy for Sam to forget meetings when he was in Scholar mode. Both Dean and Caleb suggested a personal assistant, but his last personal assistant had been Lidia, and that hadn't worked out to well in the long run.

_"Really?" _Sam was always a bit tentative in taking from Dean since their whole ordeal with the Demon Slut Who Was Never Mentioned. She had left her marks on his brother which he would carry forever.

"Yes. Sam, I own my own business. I'll tell Sal to keep an eye on things. Riley and Bradley are on a hunt, and Caleb is out with Micah." He caught himself intermingling work with being a Guardian. It was his job to know what was going on at all times. Juliet was amazed that he kept so much in order. It helped that she had a chart stuck on the refrigerator of the boys' activities. "I'll meet you half way."

_"I'm already on the road."_

"You knew I would say yes." Dean walked over to the Impala. He didn't take it out as much as he wanted to.

_"Yeah, I did. You're kind of a pushover when it comes to Mary."_

Josie and Mary were the first little girls in their immediate circle. They were still a mystery, a novelty to the men. Caleb admitted he was still getting used to them, but he said they were not little humans yet.

"She's my niece. She's cute, and at the end of the day I get to give her back."

_"And deal with your own kids."_

"Don't remind me," he joked because he loved his children—all surprises since he never expected to settle down, never expected to have children. "I'll leave now and meet you at the strip mall."

The exchange went well by shifting Mary's car seat with sleeping Mary into the backseat of the Impala. Sam gave her a kiss on her forehead. "She's going to be okay, right?"

Dean thought about his answer. "I'll be honest: she may wake up and cry for a few minutes, but then she'll chill and we'll be fine. Come by for dinner. It gives me enough time to teach her a new word."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What new word?"

Dean pretended he did not hear his brother and waved as he got into the car. He thought they would make it all the way to New Haven before Mary woke up. He heard the rustling, then he looked through the rearview mirror and saw her. "You're awake," he announced, then started chatting to distract her in the hopes she would not cry. "Just you and Uncle Dean today, Kiddo, and then we'll pick up the boys later. I thought about stopping by the shop and maybe putting a wrench in your hand. . ."

It wasn't enough, and she started to cry and wriggle. He turned the radio on, finding his favorite station and started to sing along. Mary and Dean seemed to share the same taste in music because she was humming along, adding in "Da, da, da, da," when she thought appropriate, then changed to "Ball, ball, ball".

After awhile she was content to play with her doll and listen to her uncle talk. "Undee?"

He cringed at the name Mary had bestowed on him. She said some words so clearly, and others like his name were twisted. He had a feeling that Sam was behind it, especially with Caleb being called 'Caca'. Undee was better than Caca.

He opened the door and Mary immediately started giving him commands. "Up!" Her arms were out. He carried her to the house, then put her down as he opened the door to the house. Mary tried to get by his legs in order to wander off. He saw the gleam in her eyes, so instead he made sure her feet were on his. Holding her arms up, they walked into the house in a sort of dance.

There were chores to do and Mary liked the farm, especially since she'd become mobile. There was a whole world at her level to investigate. She was content in holding some hay in her hands for a while.

He let the dogs out of their pen, and they were immediately enthralled with Mary, corralling her so he could finish the outside chores. Jim would be proud that Juliet followed his pattern of taking in strays, but that left the rest of them to pitch in, too. Mary was not much help with her tendency to wander off from his side; it made the job of feeding and cleaning longer. He was glad his brood was beyond this; a few times he remembered putting a leash around JT and James to keep them nearby.

By the time he was done, he would have to give the dogs treats as he watched Mary poke them, pat them too hard, and pull at their fur. D'Artganan came up to Dean with a whimper.

"Sorry, boy, I'll take her inside." It was lunch time anyway. He swooped Mary up in his arms as she pulled on Aramis's ears. "Undee! Horsy!"

Dean galloped them into the house and pulled open the cabinet to make Mac 'n Cheese. Mary kept repeating "hot" as he stirred the mixture.

Mary was in her independent phase, so she insisted on feeding herself. It wasn't pretty as the coagulated yellow cheese hardened to her face, pink tee, and the table. However, Mary was happy, chewing along with her set of baby teeth. He moved her and sat her on the table in front of him; he was eating grapes. He held a peeled one out to her; she was uninterested but began stuffing them into his mouth. It was hard to keep up.

Unfortunately, Mary was giving off a distinct odor. Once again he appreciated his children being past this stage. Juliet had been general in regards to toilet training, with Dean serving as a support status. Sam had given him a bag with what he would need. Dean toted her up the stairs, holding her side ways, tucked under his arm. Mary thought this was hilarious.

Dean took a deep breath, working fast he changed Mary's diaper. "You stink!"

"Stinky," she repeated easily.

Dean smiled. "Stinky Sammy."

Like sponge she repeated what Dean had said. Dean was amused, though Sam would not be, then he recalled all the times Sam had purchased loud toys for JT and James. Payback was a bitch.

Mary yawned once she was cleaned up. Dean took her downstairs, placed a blanket on the living room floor with a pillow and set Mary down. It was time for her nap and important to keep up her schedule. She did not fuss about it, and Dean walked out of the room to give her a chance to fall asleep.

With Mary sleeping, Dean went into the Tomb to do some Brotherhood work. He let Mary sleep for an hour before he started making noise to wake her up. She woke up confused.

"Daddy?"

"No, sweetie, Uncle Dean," he accentuated his name in the hopes to steer away from 'Undee'.

"Undee?" She pouted.

He reached for her. "We're going on a trip." They had to pick up the boys from school and hear about their day. James in Pre-K was first; he waited outside the door as directed with Mary in his arms.

James bounded out with his backpack held in his hand. "Hi, Mary!"

"J!" she replied to her cousin.

"How was your day, little man?" Dean asked, although his youngest did not need much prompting. James directed an explanation of his antics to his cousin more than his father as he slid to sit next to her in the backseat.

JT was next. Dean stood outside of the car to wait. JT did not run out. He waited until it was his turn in the line, did not push to get ahead, then made his way over to his dad after saying goodbye to his teacher. It was funny to see that two children of the same parents had different personalities. Dean gave JT a hug before opening the door for him.

"J!" Mary announced. She called James and JT the same name. Juliet had received the distinction of OJ as her name.

He got the brood home, and the boys asked for permission to play video games. He agreed as long as they watched Mary. "By watching I mean don't beat her up. No wrestling; she's too little."

James scrunched his nose. "You don't wrestle with a girl, Daddy."

"We could hurt her," JT explained. "She can color." JT went to the pile of coloring books, which were mostly superheroes, but he dug up something from the church. He handed it to her. "Here, Mary, you can color."

"Make sure she doesn't write on the walls, J's," he told his sons. Dean was not in the mood to repaint the living room again after James had gotten loose with a marker.

He lost track of time in the Tomb. The kids had been playing quietly. He heard the door shut when Ben came home. "Why are the dogs outside?" he called out, but then he noticed Mary because he called out to Dean, "Da-ad, Mary's eating a crayon."

Ben had Mary in his arms and was trying to get her open her mouth. "Boo." Mary gave her older cousin a hug.

Thankfully, crayons were non toxic, and it was expected that children would put them in their mouth. "I'll tell Sam that he may notice blue in her diaper."

Juliet followed behind Ben. She smiled when she saw her whole family congregated in the kitchen. She then saw Mary and put her arms out. "Come here."

Mary leaned over to Juliet. With Mary in her arms she gave Dean a kiss.

"You like her better than us," Ben said, standing with his brothers.

"Yes, you're right." Juliet laughed. "I'm the only girl." She rubbed Mary's belly, causing a fit of laughter. "We even have male dogs."

Dean nuzzled close to her. Her hair still smelled of her shampoo. "We can try again. . ." He bobbed his eyebrows up and down.

"In your dreams. Between you, the boys, Caleb, and Sam, I think I have enough children." Juliet patted Dean on the face. "Set the table, boys, and we'll have dinner together," she ordered. "I want to hear about your day." She shifted Mary to her hip and shut the slow cooker off.

"Is there enough for Sam?" Dean had not told her about the unexpected company.

"There's always enough, honey." He loved that she never minded that there were extra guests. Being the Guardian meant their home was open. "Ben, can you make a salad?"

They tried to eat a couple of dinners a week as a family. It was difficult around their schedules, but Dean had promised Juliet he would make it a priority. Mary banged the table for attention, which her cousins were only too happy to comply with.

Dean heard Sam pull up as they were just tucking into their plates. He opened the door for his brother. "Perfect timing, Sammy."

"Stinky Sammy!"

Sam's eyes lit up at seeing his daughter, then he frowned and threw a glance at Dean. "Thanks."

"Daddy!" Mary then said, pushed up against the high chair to get herself loose. Juliet released her and handed her over to Sam.

Sam had been adamant about not having children, unsure about passing along his drops of demon blood. Lidia was under the wrong assumption she could not have children, which was fine with her because she wanted to pursue more involvement in The Brotherhood. She got pregnant, and Sam convinced her to have the baby. But, after the birth Lidia decided she would not make a good parent. Sam excelled at it. "I hope she wasn't a problem. I noticed the dogs outside."

"No, not at all."

"She ate a crayon," Ben informed his uncle.

"She learned a new word," James stated.

Dean narrowed his eyes. He knew the boys had been too quiet. He should have checked on them. "What's that?" Dean hoped he sounded happy when inwardly he was cringing and hoping it was not a swear word.

"Uncle," JT prompted.

"Ca-lub," Mary finished, putting her hands up in the air.

"He paid you to do that, didn't he?" Sam asked, placing his daughter back in the high chair.

"Ca-lub, Ca-lub," Mary repeated.

"He promised us twenty whole dollars!" James said.

"That's a lot of money," JT added with solemnity of a child just learning about money.

"How come when I ask you to pick up after yourself, you forget?" Juliet asked her sons.

They both shrugged. Dean looked at Ben as Sam took the last available seat. "What's your take?"

"I have to confirm that they did their jobs for a cool fifty." Ben smiled. "Which should be enough to take Kayla out to dinner and a movie next week."

Dean shook his head. "He did tell you that he'd get his way." Dean was jealous he had not thought of reprogramming Mary, all he got was 'Stinky Sammy.'

Sam gave an exaggerated sigh. "It was fun while it lasted, and I have it as his ring tone."

Dean would get his kids to change his name to Uncle Dean next time, no fee involved. He would also make sure there were no recordings 'Undee' either.


	2. Winchester Legacy: Green Beans

Title: Green Beans

By: Tidia

Beta: That Girl Six

Disclaimer: Brotherhood AU with future characters

Notes: As Ridley and I have said we are getting to all the important moments as fast as we can. So here is one that people have asked about 

Juliet had convinced JT to take a nap, which meant he was lying on the floor next to her on a blanket pretending he was like Mickey, the nursery school guinea pig. As a vet guinea pigs were not her favorite animal, but as an eight month pregnant mother she appreciated the animal's lethargy.

Her plan was to work up until the day she gave birth. She had done that with JT, took three months off, then returned to the clinic. However, last night she worked the emergency rotation, and it had been busy in the office even before having to go on site to tend to a horse.

Dean had left in the morning on business. "Do you need me to stay home? I can make other arrangements. . ."

He was rubbing her swollen feet, and she was tempted. "No, honey, I'll be fine. I have tomorrow off."

Dean kissed her, patted her belly, then checked in on JT before he left. "I'll try to be home tomorrow night. Don't wait up."

She missed him, missed the way he was with his son, and the way she felt loved by him. They had not planned on having children, but she was glad that it happened (and happened again) because Dean excelled at being a father. He said she was a good mom, but she always had that guilt that came with being a working mom. All she could do was try her best.

Right now there was no guilt, only exhaustion. JT was a good boy and took his father's order of watching over his mother very seriously. When he heard the dogs barking he was no longer a guinea pig; instead he morphed into a leopard racing to the door. The dogs quieted, but within moments there was a knock at the door.

Dean had told her many times to be leery of strangers at the door in the same sentence as saying the house was filled with protections so nothing supernatural should be at the door.

JT was near the door yelling out to the stranger, "Password!" He jumped up and down believing it would make him be heard.

"Uh, I'm looking for Dean Winchester?" replied the hesitant voice on the other side.

"No! Password!" JT was insistent and pulled Juliet's pant leg as if to keep her away.

She opened the door since there would still be a screen between her and her son and the stranger.

It was a dark headed teenager with his head turned looking out. Dill and Boo were near him, Dill on one side, Boo between the door and the teen. He turned back when he heard the door open. "Hi, Ma'am, I was wondering if Dean Winchester lived here? Do I have the right house? "

"Daddy says password," JT repeated. Dean had started the game, which was usually fun as they thought of funny passwords. This time with her little man in his over-protective state it was more of an annoyance.

"Sorry about that—" Juliet started but was struck silent by the green eyes that stared back at her. She took in the rest of the boy's face, immediately seeing the similarities. Then she noticed the build, the promise of similar height.

"Password!" JT put his hands on his hips. He was determined.

"G-R-E-E-N-B-E-A-N-S," Juliet spelled out. JT frowned at her. He was a smart boy, but she still had the advantage of being able to spell things out without having him understand.

The teen narrowed his eyes, then put it all together. "Green beans."

JT unlocked the screen door, pushing it open. "I like green beans." With his job done, JT suddenly got shy and hid behind his mother's legs.

"Sorry about that." She patted JT's blond hair. "He and his father have this game . . . Can I help you?"

"My name is Ben, and I'm looking for Dean Winchester?" Ben moved his head, trying to look past her into the house.

"You found him, well, so to speak. He's not here right now." Juliet wondered if she should call Sam to come by since he knew more about his brother's past than she did.

"Oh, okay, um, do you know when he'll be back?" Ben shifted the straps of his backpack. "Or where I can find him?"

Juliet noticed Ben looked tired. "Late tonight, early tomorrow morning."

Ben shoulders slumped. "Oh, okay, I'll come back tomorrow."

"Wait, Ben is it?" Juliet made her split second decision. She trusted her intuition; after all that is the reason why she was with Dean. "Why don't you come inside? I was going to fix JT some lunch. I know Dean isn't home, but maybe whatever you need to see him about is something I can help you with?"

"Ah, I don't know." Like Dean, Ben's eyes showed so much emotion.

She pointed to Boo and signaled to him to move back. He whined but followed the silent command. "Is it about a car?"

Ben shook his head. "No."

"Then really, I can help." She opened the door wide, and Ben crossed the threshold to enter. "My name is Juliet. Dean and I are together. This is our son, JT."

At the mention of his name, JT lost his shyness and put out his hand. "Hi, Ben."

Ben looked at Juliet, who nodded, then bent down and shook JT's hand.

"He's learning about manners," Juliet explained.

Ben's eyes were wild, glancing about the house. "Maybe this isn't a good idea. I mean, you're pregnant."

"Yeah, I can't hide it." Since it was her second pregnancy she showed much sooner than she had with JT. However, there was no way to hide eight months' worth of pregnancy. She patted her belly. She thought it was a girl; Dean thought it was another boy. Neither Caleb or Sam were hazarding a guess since they said their abilities did not work that way.

"Wow, I didn't think . . . I didn't know . . . ," Ben babbled before catching himself, "Congratulations."

She led the way into the kitchen, thinking about what she would make for lunch for a hungry teen. "How do you know Dean?" She opened the freezer and saw she had chicken fingers in the shapes of dinosaurs.

"He helped me out a long time ago when I was little," Ben explained.

Juliet did not press any further. She understood The Brotherhood but kept herself in somewhat of an ignorant existence. Supernatural things existed in the world of which she had to be aware, but that was about it. She was not going to be a hunter. However, she had a whole new appreciation for the wives of firemen and police officers.

"I'm not little. I'm big." JT raised his hands up to extend his size. "I'm going to be a big brother."

She and Dean hoped they were preparing JT for a little brother or sister. Juliet was an only child and deferred to Dean. "You'll make a great big brother."

JT was reassured and was off to the next question. "Can you read me a book?" he asked Ben.

"After lunch, sweetie," Juliet answered for Ben. "So are you from around here?" Juliet wanted to keep the conversation going at least while the chicken was cooking. She put some milk and water on the table with a glass.

"No, I'm not." Ben chose the milk. "I'm from Indiana."

She wasn't expecting to hear that at all. "Ben, that's a long way away from here. How did you get here?"

"The bus," he answered, then bit his lip in nervousness.

"The bus? By yourself?" Juliet was tempted to call Dean or the police. "Do you want to call someone? Your mom must be worried sick."

Ben shook his. "No, thank you. It was just my mom and I, and she died." He glanced away and took the little army guy JT was holding out to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She felt nauseous suddenly and sat down. She gestured for JT to come to her. She pulled him into her lap to give him a hug.

"We're playing army guys." JT lifted the green man clasped in his fist.

"I see." She kissed him on the head. "Why don't you put them away, then take a seat at the table?" Juliet set her son on the floor.

"Can I sit next to Ben?" JT asked.

"Sure, little man." Juliet reassured her son, and he went off to the put the army guys in the toy box. Given the moment alone with Ben, Juliet wanted to also assure him, too. "I think Dean can help you." She stood up, passed him on the way to get the plates, and placed an arm on his shoulder.

"I don't know. Maybe this was stupid. I'm just some kid . . ."

Ben wasn't just 'some kid'. She knew this was Dean's son, and she couldn't have him leave the farm without anyone in the world when she knew there was room here, room in Dean's heart and in her heart. "Have some chicken, and I have fruit salad. Do you like fruit salad?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

None of her life experiences had prepared her for this. She was a vet, a child of divorce with almost two children in a long term relationship with a man who walked in two worlds. She tried to calm the raging hormones thinking about her great uncle and grandmother. "If you're tired, we have room upstairs."

"I'm not tired," Ben said between bites of chicken fingers. JT sat next to him eating happily, playing with the dinosaurs before taking a bite.

"Dean won't be back until later—" She came up with an idea. "I could use some help." Juliet smiled. "I'm a vet with a penchant for taking in strays. Dean humors me, and in my condition, has done a lot of the work."

"I help you, Mama," JT replied.

"Yes, JT, you're a big helper."

"I can help. I don't mind," Ben volunteered with relief evident on his face.

Juliet had found a perfect excuse to keep Ben at the farm. "Will you work for food and a roof over your head for at least tonight?"

Ben looked her in the eyes and nodded.

It was her turn to be relieved. "Do you like meatloaf?"

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Brotherhood AU))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

It was five o'clock in the morning when Dean made it back to the farm. He had to drop Caleb off at the airport first. Caleb was heading back to New York City for a gallery showing of his work. Dean wanted to go, but with Juliet far along in her pregnancy, he didn't want to leave unless it was for necessary Brotherhood business. He hadn't mentioned the show to Juliet at all because she would have encouraged him to go.

He was happy to be home. He'd clean up; check in on JT, then get some sleep. That vanished when in the dim light he saw a form bent over resting on the table. The gun, tucked hastily in his waistband, was drawn. There were protections at the farm, but he was not taking chances with Juliet and JT.

Dean crept quietly to the body, placed the gun close to what looked like a teen, and pulled the stranger's head up.

"Ow!" exclaimed the stranger.

Dean focused on the white eyes. "Who are you?"

The teen rubbed a hand down his face. "Hi, Dean. It's me, Ben Braeden."

Dean backed up a few steps, lowered the gun down, then threw on the lights to remind him of the familiarity of the kitchen. Dean remained rooted in place. "What are you doing here? Where's your mom?"

Ben wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "My mom died two weeks ago," he said softly, then pulled open the backpack that he had been resting against. "She said you were my dad. She wrote this for you. She didn't get a chance to send it to you." He stretched out a white envelope.

Dean opened it, then took a seat as he read over Lisa's words. He read them twice, closed his eyes for a moment to absorb them. He folded the letter up and laid it on the table in front of him. "How did you get here?"

"I took the bus." Ben's eyes remained on the letter instead of Dean.

"You should have called," Dean said without reproach. He always knew Ben was his but understood why Lisa did not want him in Ben's life.

When Ben looked up at Dean there were tears in his eyes; his words came out chokingly. "I didn't know. I didn't think you had a family, kids or anything. . ." Ben took in a deep breath. "I can go."

"What?" Dean replied sharply.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Slow down." Dean stood up and took the chair near Ben. "First things first—you're staying. Wait until I tell Caleb that his room is taken." Ben gave him a puzzled look. "Do you want to stay?"

Ben wiped the tears from his eyes. "I have no where else to go."

Dean cupped the back of Ben's neck. "Kiddo, I know you just showed up on my doorstep, but I'm your dad. You always have a place with me." He wanted Ben to know he was wanted.

"But you're with Juliet." Ben sniffed. "You have a son, a family."

Dean kept his hand on his son's shoulder. "She let you in here, right?"

"Yeah." Ben was leaning into the touch.

"Then that is the least of your worries." The fact that he was in the house spoke volumes to Juliet's acceptance. "I'd be worried about the assorted other relatives you'll be gaining." He was thinking about Sam, Caleb, Bobby, and Mac and their overwhelming reaction. The kid would be smothered. "Buckets of crazy."

Ben pursed his lips and nodded, then wiped his eyes. "When I met you before, do you still do that stuff?" His voice still crackled with emotion.

"Yep."

"Cool." Ben smiled.

Dean squeezed Ben's shoulder one more time, then stood up. "But instead of just doing the grunt work, I run the show."

"What?"

"I am The Guardian of a secret group of hunters of the supernatural called The Brotherhood." Caleb said he had to stop saying it with a goofy grin on his face.

"Are you serious?"

Dean gestured for his son to stand. "Yeah, come with me." They went into the library, and Dean opened the secret door to the Hunters' Tomb.

"You have a secret room?" Ben made a complete circle; the sadness momentarily vanished and was replaced by awe.

"The Hunters' Tomb."

"Does Juliet know about this?"

Dean laughed. Juliet must have made a good impression on Ben. "Yeah, kind of hard to hide it from her. We've been together for a while now." It had so far been a long healthy relationship with one kid and another on the way, which he never envisioned for himself.

"But you're not married."

"No." This was a question that came up every once in awhile. JT hadn't noticed yet. Juliet's family made her gun shy about marriage. He was committed to her; there was no one else he wanted, and neither of them thought that going to the clerk's office for a marriage certificate was really needed. It had worked out for Boone and Kathleen; it worked for Dean and Juliet. "Why be conventional?" Dean gestured for Ben to exit the room. "But I think we need to hammer out a few things."

Dean wanted to talk about school, and Ben making the transition to Kentucky. He needed to know Ben's expectations and share his own. He wanted to get to know his son.

Ben was still doubtful. "So that's it? I'm going to live here? Just don't get home too late?"

Dean looked around the kitchen as more light filtered in. Pastor Jim would be happy that his home was filled. "I knew from the first time I saw you that you were mine. But, the way I was living I could totally understand why your mom kept me out. I respected it. I can't be your mom, but I can try to be the best dad if you give me a chance."

"You sure you don't want a paternity test?"

"Do you want one?" Dean replied. It was not needed. It was why Juliet let Ben in the house in the first place. It was evident who Ben's father was.

Ben thinned his lips and shook his head. "I believe my mom." There was still a sadness around him. In time, Dean knew from personal experience, it would be replaced with hope for the future. Ben's lips then moved to a small smile. "When I'm old enough will you let me have my own car?"

Dean leaned back in the chair. A car he could do easily. The rest about raising a kid that he had seen years ago would be a challenge, and one he hoped he lived up too. "As long as it's American made."

Ben shrugged his shoulders in reply.

Juliet was not light on her feet. Dean heard her coming down the stairs. He and Ben would have plenty of time to talk later. Dean met her at the bottom of the stairs and planted a kiss on her.

"You're home?" She wrapped her arms around him, then turned and noticed Ben. "You're awake."

"We've been talking, figured out some things," Dean explained.

"Good." Juliet placed a hand on Ben's head as she made her way to the refrigerator. "Did you happen to make breakfast?"

"I was just about to make some pancakes." Juliet hadn't been sleeping well. She looked tired, even after a full night of sleep. She had trimmed her schedule a bit, but emergencies still came up. And now they had gained a teenager. "Ben, why don't you go put your stuff back upstairs?"

"Are you okay with this?" Dean asked, her back towards him as she was making some decaffeinated tea.

She leaned back into his arms, then turned her head to look up at him. "Yeah, honey, he seems like a good kid."

"He is." Dean was able to confirm after talking for the last two hours.

She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. "Any other kids I should worry about?"

"No, just the one." Dean placed a hand on her belly, feeling a kick in return after a moment. "I have a feeling this one is going to be a troublemaker."

Juliet picked up his hand and placed a kiss on his fingertips. "I'm sure we can handle it."

Dean kissed the top of her head. "So we're good?"

"Honey, I accept that you are the head of a super secret organization. Ben is a cakewalk in comparison. I hope we can be good friends."

He laughed and gave her a swat on the butt. Ben returned, and he and Juliet sat at the table as Dean made pancakes. JT pitter-pattered down the stairs.

Dean swooped him up, and JT put his hands out wide. "Daddy!"

JT was still small enough for Dean to hold in his arms. "Hey, little man. You remember Ben?"

"Yes." JT bobbed his head up and down. "We played army guys yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow at Juliet. She had been busy yesterday with a bonding experience. They hadn't talked about it, but JT had to know, and it was better to be blunt. "He's your big brother."

This confused JT. He pointed at his mother's belly. "I'm a big brother."

"Not yet, but soon, and that's a good thing because he can play with you, and the baby won't be ready to play with you for a while," Juliet explained. She did a better job than he did.

Ben also saw his opportunity to prove he could be a big brother. "I can read you a book?"

"Okay." JT shrugged and wiggled so Dean set him down to get a book.

"Did he tell you the password?" Dean asked. Every week they changed it, which helped with JT's vocabulary. Caleb said it was early training.

"Green beans," Ben replied in all seriousness. "I like them, too."

Dean gave him a clap on the back. "Welcome to the family."


	3. Winchester Legacy: Hocus Pocus

Title: Winchester Legacy Series: Hocus Pocus

By: Tidia

Disclaimer: Brotherhood AU and Supernatural (though somehow I don't see Kripke going along with this)

Notes: This was a request and I forget by whom! But here it is. Enjoy readers! Ridley's daughter and my nieces are the inspiration.

Caleb was in the front seat; his two prisoners in the back were silent. They were supposed to stay with him for five days, but after the stunt they pulled he wanted to bring them home immediately—enough that he borrowed the Ames Corporation private jet to return them home. He couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about it; he and his father sat on the board but rarely involved themselves in the large corporation. Caleb was going to suggest a private jet for Tri-Corp. He still owned shares in the company and did consulting work. Private jets did come in useful.

"Uncle Caleb? Are we almost there?" asked one of the two guests in the backseat of the rental.

"Yes, and your fathers are going to meet us. They're not going to be happy. I'm not happy," Caleb growled back, keeping eye contact through the rearview mirror. That silenced them again. He also read their thoughts, and they were starting to understand there were going to be repercussions for their actions.

The expression _sight for sore eyes_ came to mind when he entered New Earth even though it had only been forty-eight hours since he had been to the farm. The dogs came to greet them. Caleb opened the door for the girls and they scooted out, dolls held tight with their heads down. He pointed them to go first, seeing Josh's car and Sam's were in the drive.

He entered the house last; the girls had gone to each of their fathers for protection. Jocelyn was clinging to Joshua; Mary was trying to use her father's height to her advantage.

"Do you want to share with us what is going on?" asked Joshua.

Caleb was wearing a knit hat in the heat of a warm spring. He didn't dare remove it, still didn't with the audience of Dean, Sam, and Joshua plus the boys. JT, Max, and James were coming down the stairs, having heard him pull up. He was only lucky that Ben was not at home.

"You need to fix this," he said as he pulled off the hat to reveal vivid pink hair. It looked horrible with the olive skin tones.

Dean had to sit down as he convulsed in laughter. Sam smiled, then his mouth dropped open. The boys looked stunned, JT the only one wise enough to school his features. James and Max reacted much like Dean.

Joshua pulled Jocelyn away from him at an arm's length. "What did you two do? I told you to stop doing that spell on the hamsters."

Josie nodded, pulling on her most innocent expression. "You did not say we could not do it on Uncle Caleb."

"Holy sh-" Max began, then cleared his throat as his father gave him a stern look.

"What spell?" Sam asked, taking stock of his daughter but directing the question towards Joshua. "Mary's doing spells?"

Mary enthusiastically nodded her head. "It's fun, Daddy."

"Joshua—" Sam started.

Caleb could see the girls were trying to divert attention away from him. "Hello, back to the guy with pink hair." Caleb glared at Max when his comment caused the teen to snort.

"He started it." Josie pointed at him.

Caleb was dumbfounded. He had volunteered to take them to New York City for the spring break for a few days. It was supposed to be an adventure for them. How did that warrant the involvement of his hair? "They're terrors. No more _American Girl_ store—ever." Caleb crossed his arms. He hated that store.

"No!" Mary began to chant, and Josie joined in. The cacophony made the men wince, but they also were hesitant to stop the two little tyrants.

"Calm down," James said, restraining Mary while Max stopped his sister. The atmosphere quieted down.

Dean seemed to come to himself, squared his shoulders. "What happened?"

Caleb sighed. He hadn't wanted to come to the farm with pink hair. There was a huge embarrassment factor. "I wouldn't have called if Esme was around. But she and Mac are on their, what, fifth honeymoon." Caleb shook his head. He was happy for his father and Esme, but they seemed more of a unit than independent from each other. It was annoying. "Those two need to stop."

Joshua rubbed a hand down his face. "Thank you for the image burned into my mind now."

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. This was all Joshua's fault, so he was fine with causing the other man discomfort. "All I know is that the Wicked Witch of the West and her Dark Apprentice did something, and now my hair is pink. Pink!" He pulled at his hair in frustration. "I tried to wash it out, then I tried to get them to fix it." Caleb narrowed his eyes. "They didn't know how to."

"He was mean to us." Jocelyn had her arms crossed; Mary mimicked the same action.

Joshua also crossed his arms over his chest. "What did _you_ do?"

"Nothing!" Caleb protested. The two little girls were treated like angels by the men, though they had been warned by the women it would backfire. "Me, mean to them? Please."

James was standing by his cousin but had tilted his head, staring at Caleb's hair. "Shouldn't we take a piece of your hair and study it, maybe put it in the Tomb?"

Caleb put his hand up in a stop position. "No. Go away. Bunch of heathens, all of you. JT's my only heir now."

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Max stated.

"You want to take my picture." Caleb pointed to his head, reminding the boys of his psychic ability. "I know!"

Max lifted a shoulder in surrender and smirked. It had been exactly what he was thinking for future blackmail purposes. In the end Caleb would have them training for hours. He was not a pushover when it came to his nephews.

"Boys, if you are going to stay, sit down and be quiet," Dean ordered, making eye contact with each boy before focusing again on Caleb. "Damien, you need to calm down. You're scaring the girls."

Caleb noted that Josie and Mary looked nonplussed. "_They're_ scary!" Caleb began pacing to contain himself.

"Joshua, can you make some sense of this?" Sam asked.

Joshua sighed. "Jocelyn learned a simple spell that takes only a few ingredients and changes the color of things."

"She practiced on her hamsters," Max added, then quieted again when Dean cleared his throat.

"I told her to stop," Joshua said to Jocelyn. She did not flinch at the accusation.

"And Mary?" Sam cocked his neck towards his child.

"Mary is welcome at the coven. She plays with the other children, and I am guessing she learns things," Joshua explained.

"I taught her the spell," Jocelyn said proudly as she held hands with her best friend. "Mary likes pink, too."

"I don't want her learning about witchcraft." Sam ignored Jocelyn.

Mary stood on her tiptoes to bring the attention to her. "I like it, Daddy. It's fun, and they're all nice."

Sam shook his head, then rubbed one of his eyes. He was going to give in to Mary; he always did. "I wish you had told me."

"I should have discussed it with you. But Josie and Mary spend so much time together that I guess it was inevitable," Joshua added.

"Maybe they should take a break from each other." Caleb knew Sam's experience with Ruby was ruling his reaction. Joshua's coven had helped them out many times, and Joshua and Esme were examples of good witches.

"No! Daddy," Mary exclaimed, eliciting a second round of whining from the girls.

Caleb watched the conversation and was becoming frustrated at being ignored. "My hair is still pink," he reminded the girls' fathers of his predicament over the high pitched yelling.

This time it was JT quieting the girls. "Why don't you two sit down? Do you want something to drink? Chocolate milk?"

Mary wiped under her nose with her hand. Jocelyn gave a baleful nod. They took their seats and accepted the chocolate milk in silence.

"I think I would call it magenta, more than pink." Max snapped his fingers. "Or wait—fluorescent pink. I wonder if it will glow in the dark?"

"Watch it, Max," Caleb reprimanded his nephew.

"You already disinherited me."

Dean bent down to be at the girls' level near their chairs. "Can one of you tell me why Uncle Caleb's hair is pink?"

Mary licked her lips before answering, "We wanted to do blue, Uncle Dean. Blue for boys, pink for girls."

James stifled a laugh with a cough. Caleb still recognized what it was.

"Okay, thank you, Mary, but Uncle Caleb's hair is black." Dean tugged playfully at Josie's darker hair.

"There's some white, too," Josie added.

"Because of you two." Caleb pointed at the young offenders.

Mary looked at her best friend, then lifted and dropped her shoulders. "He kept saying 'one minute'."

"We counted to sixty, and he said wait a minute," Josie explained, kicking her legs back and forth. "We did not like that girl."

"_We _like Maureen," Mary said as if this was clearing up the situation.

Caleb tried to remember when he told the girls to wait a minute and who Maureen was.

"What are you exposing my daughter to?" Joshua said with accusation in his voice.

"Who's Maureen?" James asked before anyone else could.

"The cupcake lady!" the two girls replied in unison.

Caleb rolled his eyes. It all came back to him. "She owns the bakery where the girls buy their cupcakes." He had committed a travesty against the girls and Maureen by flirting with the clerk at _American Girl_. He had even scored Ella's phone number but didn't recognize the girls had been upset about it.

"She makes special ones—an M for Mary and a J for Josie," Mary started and Josie finished.

Magnolia Cupcakes was the girls' special place right after _American Girl_. However, if the girls were going to get him in trouble for flirting, then he would get them in trouble, too, petty as it may seem. "Maureen also knows that you're the Scholar and Josh is a witch."

This time it was Dean shaking his head. "Girls? We talked about this before."

"But we're not supposed to lie," Mary pouted.

"Girls," Dean said with more of a warning tone that he was not going to be swayed by Mary's similarity to young Sam.

"Sorry, Uncle Dean," Mary relinquished.

"Sorry," Josie added quietly.

"Can you fix this?" Caleb pulled at his hair.

"Yes, it's simple," Joshua stated. "Max, go to the car and get my bag, please."

"But, Da-ad—"

Caleb clasped his hands together and cracked his knuckles. That got Max to leave in a huff.

"You taught Josie something and not how to undo it?" Sam was reaching his hand out to touch Caleb's hair when Caleb smacked it out its trajectory. No one else was getting near his hair. Maybe he was lucky Mac wasn't around. He would have been his father's science experiment.

"_No_, she knows," Joshua answered.

Josie had the good judgment to wiggle in her seat. Caleb felt no sympathy.

"We want you to be nice to Maureen," Mary came to the defense of her friend. "She likes you."

He had talked to the woman. She was attractive and always gave him a cookie when he brought the girls in. His nieces thought this was enough to play matchmaker. "This was all a plan?" Dean started was guffawing, and his kids were joining in the merriment. If the Guardian was laughing, then it was okay for everyone to laugh. "Shut up, Deuce."

Max returned with Josh's satchel and noticed Dean's chuckling. Max beamed a wide smile.

Joshua did not return the smile when he accepted his bag. "I think you owe Uncle Caleb an apology. What you did was not very nice; especially after all he does for you."

Caleb was surprised because it was infrequent that Joshua reprimanded the girls—that anyone did. The younger boys always complained that the girls got away with murder.

Mary and Josie looked saddened, their bottom lips quivering. "We love you, Uncle Caleb."

"I'm sorry," Mary added.

"I'm very sorry, too," Josie stated, then with a sidelong glace to her father said, "Are we going to be punished?"

"Yes," Joshua replied, then turned to get a bowl from the cupboard.

"Will you ever take us to _American Girl_ store again?" Mary's eyes glowed with tears.

Caleb crossed his arms. He was not going to give in to them. They would not play him. "I don't know. I think you have to earn it."

"What if we make you cookies?" Josie asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Carolyn, or Esme when she was visiting, helped the girls to bake so it would be edible. "It's a start."

"Why don't you two wait for us upstairs?" Sam said to the girls.

They headed up the stairs with their heads bowed. The remaining men watched them go. Joshua handed the bowl to Caleb. It contained murky colored liquid with a pungent scent of cinnamon.

"Am I still disinherited?" Max asked from his position near his best friend, JT.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Talk to me after you've run ten laps."

"What if we make you cookies?" James added, showing his dimples.

"No way."

JT pulled his brother up. "You guys need to know when to shut up," he grumbled.

"There's a double standard," James whined, protesting being pushed outside.

"Of course there is," Caleb replied matter-of-factly. He could never imagine getting the girls to run laps. "Get going."

At the kitchen sink Caleb poured the mixture over his head. Josh hadn't said anything so for good measure he rubbed it in to make sure he had covered all his hair. "Do I leave it in or just rinse?"

"Just rinse."

Caleb fumbled for the hot and cold knobs but was not about to ask for help again. The lukewarm water ran through his hair. Standing, Deuce threw him a towel. He wanted to run to the bathroom and check out the color, but instead he pulled a strand forward to see his normal, natural color. No hint of pink.

"When do you think you'll let them off the hook?" Sam pointed upstairs. The girls were probably in James's room awaiting their fate.

Dean snorted. "Knowing him, the first time they send Damien a picture that they drew."

Caleb did have quite an art collection started by Max. He would never admit he saved them all. "Don't forget the cookies, Deuce."


	4. Winchester Legacy: A Life Event

Title: A Life Event

By: Tidia

Beta: That Girl Six

Disclaimer: Really? I know this is important, but I am not making any money.

Author's Note: Ridley and I realize readers are wondering about ages. We are purposefully omitting them, having only ranges in our mind, because we need to have the flexibility. Secondly, I know there will be requests for when James was conceived. I can sum it up here: JT was away for the weekend with one of his uncles. Dean and Juliet had too much to drink and no protection thus leading to James. The summer of fluff will end with one more story from me and one from Ridley.

Special Author's Note: We thought we should let you know that Ridley and I have been granted our greatest wish! Putting good vibes out into the universe has paid off. Victor Webster will be playing CALEB on the CW!!!! Only in a shocking twist of fate that proves 'be careful what you wish for,' and be very specific when using The Secret. Poor Caleb has been cast in his worst nightmare, playing 'Caleb, a gay publicist' on Melrose Place (boss to Ella played by former Ruby, Katie Cassidy)! We're not sure if nefarious angels or sympathetic demons are to blame, or perhaps Chuck the prophet wanted him out of the way. The only perk we can see at this point is that he'll be dressed great and Drew, Joshua's top notch assistant, dreams will be fulfilled.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((The Future)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Dean sat on bed facing the bathroom waiting for Juliet to exit. He had heard her get up, no matter how quietly she had tried. She had even kept the lights off.

He did not want to intrude on Juliet. He could hear her retching noises, then the flush, brushing her teeth, the click of the door closing. In a moment he made out her silhouette in the doorway as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He cleared his throat to make some noise, but it didn't help as Juliet yelped.

"Ah! You scared me."

Dean reached out to her and guided her to sit next to him on the bed. Juliet's hand was still around her throat. "Sorry, how are you feeling? Can I turn on a light?"

She nodded, and he clapped his hands. He loved the Clapper. Juliet hated it and rolled her eyes in response of the dim light casting the room.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Juliet kept his hand in hers.

Her paleness and occasional sickness had gone on for a month now. She had brushed him off in the beginning, but now that she was clinging to him it made Dean believe there was more going on. "Promise me you'll go to the doctor's."

She slipped her hand out of his. "It's nothing. A stomach bug. Stress. I just opened the office, and it's busy with not enough staff. Do you know how hard it is to find office staff?"

Dean shook his head as he heard the excuses, so similar to what he would do in her position. Juliet did not like creating a drama. "I can send over Sal to help you." He bumped her shoulder in jest.

Juliet returned the bump. "You complain you can't read his writing."

It was true. His employee had the worst writing, so much so that Sal had to type out notes to Dean about menial tasks like lunch orders. "I'll help you."

"Thanks, honey, but you're busier than I am." She patted his leg, then stood up to go to her side of the bed.

He was not letting the issue drop. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her in so she was facing him. "Then promise me you'll at least go to the doctor's. If not, then I'll call Mac."

"Are you threatening me, Winchester?" She crooked up an eyebrow, which was so non-threatening with her hair set up in a high ponytail askew.

Dean brought his hand to her neck. "Yes, yes, I am."

She leaned down with her lips close to his. "Fine, tomorrow morning I'll call. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Dean kissed her. "Come back to bed."

Juliet kept her promise. Dean stayed at home to witness her making the phone call and then getting an appointment for later in the morning. She dissuaded him from going with her. Her independence was both a blessing and a curse. He could not say that he actually got much work accomplished. He was tinkering on cars instead of fixing their mechanical issues. Finally, he decided to get some paperwork done in his office. Juliet said she would call when she was finished, so hiding out in his office seemed like a better idea.

"Boss, the missus is here!" Sal yelled out to him.

Dean swallowed. This was not a good sign. She came to give him bad news in person. He did not have a chance to get out of his chair before she came in, her eyes shielded by sunglasses, but he could tell that she had been crying.

He went to her, enveloping her in a hug before pulling away to take off her sunglasses and hold her face in his hands. "Tell me."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I'm not trapping you. This wasn't on purpose."

"I know that." He flashbacked to his father in cardiac arrest, about all his long bedside vigils. Dean would stand by her no matter what the treatments or where it took them.

"We were careful." She looked him in the eyes.

"Careful about what? Darling, you're killing me here. What is it?" He needed to know so that he could fix it. Dean had a lot at his disposal, more so than any other normal person. He, Sam, and Caleb had made a promise about no more deals, but Dean had never foreseen anything like this.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, bringing a hand to her mouth to cover the downcast mouth.

His hands fell from her face to splay on her collarbone where he could feel her heart beating. "We're having a baby?"

She nodded, moving her head so her cheek almost touched his hand. "I used protection. I'm sorry."

Dean was reeling with the only thought reverberating in his brain being BABY. His heart clenched in excitement where before there was dread of unforeseen illness. "Nothing is fool proof, especially when Team Winchester is involved." He felt giddy, though he would never admit the uncool reaction. He looked at Juliet and noticed she did not have the same uncontained emotions. He then thought of their conversation. "Wait, do you think this is a bad thing?"

"Do you?"

"No. I know you're not trapping me." Dean hugged her tight and lifted her off the floor, then twirled her around until she laughed. He put her down when he thought this may not be good for Juliet and the baby. "Sit down." Dean placed her gently in the beat up padded chair. "How are you?"

"Fine. A bit of a shock. I didn't notice at all." Her hand wavered on her nonexistent belly.

All the retching and vomiting made sense now that Juliet was not dying from some fatal illness. "That was morning sickness?"

Juliet frowned. "All day sickness more like."

Instinctively he rubbed her back. It had hit in the early morning hours, but he was not going to disagree with her over semantics. "When's the baby due?"

"The doctor thinks I'm two months along. I have an appointment with an OB on Thursday."

"I'm going to go with you."

"Okay." Juliet shifted in the chair. There was more on her mind.

"Now that you know that I don't feel this was a scheme on your part to get my millions, you want to tell me what else is going on?" He pulled his desk chair close so that they were sitting knee to knee.

"I love you," she started. He didn't know if that was a good start or a bad one. "But this baby could be a hunter or involved in the Brotherhood."

"He or she could." Dean never thought what it was like to be an outsider to The Brotherhood and a female. Carolyn was part of The Brotherhood so she knew what she was bringing Max into; Juliet did not. "Though are you thinking it's a he?" He wanted a healthy baby, but a boy would be awesome, especially in light of Joshua having a boy.

"That's not the point." She playfully tapped his leg.

He grabbed her hand. He recalled Juliet's return to him three weeks after their breakup. Over a bottle of wine and some apple pie he told her all about The Brotherhood and his role as The Guardian. "I would never force my child into this life. But if he chooses it, I won't stop them either. I can't make any guarantees, Juliet. I'm not going to hide what I do." Dean could not imagine disappearing on his child with lame excuses that would leave him or her insecure. You could not hide being The Guardian.

"I know they'll think it's cool." She sighed.

Dean laughed. "It is cool." He thought of growing up and the summers immersed at the farm, wanting so much to be a part of The Brotherhood.

"It's dangerous, too. I'm scared." Juliet shivered.

"I'm scared, too," he admitted. Any time he sent a hunter on a hunt he was concerned and worried, more so if it was his family. A child on a hunt would be unbearable, yet it had been done for generations. His father had done it. "I think we have a while before he gets his ring."

She nodded, temporarily accepting his answer, but he knew the topic would be revisited. "What if I'm a bad mom?"

"What if I'm a bad dad?" What kind of dad would he make? His father wasn't a great role model when it came to parenting. There had been a lack of stability under the best circumstances. However, he had Jim and Mac as examples, and advice would be forthcoming from Joshua, he imagined. It would bring a new dimension to his Advisor role.

Juliet shook her head. "I don't think that is possible. I see how you are with Sam and Caleb."

Dean snorted. "Honey, they're grown men."

This time it was her giving an unladylike snort. "Really? I'll take pictures next time you have to referee one of those video games."

"Those are for Max. We have to test them out," Dean explained, recalling them buying a few games for Max to play with and having to decide which was the appropriate one. Dean and Caleb enjoyed spending time with the little guy and influencing him. Max already had 'dude' in his repertoire of words.

"Max is two." Juliet held up her fingers.

Dean shrugged. "Worse comes to worst, we make a lot of mistakes with this one, screw him up, then have another one and do better. Practice makes perfect."

"Slow down. One baby at a time." She placed his hand on her stomach. "I just opened my own practice."

He was thinking how they would work it out so that he could refute this list of insecurities she was going through. "You don't have to give it up. We'll figure it out. I'll be home more. Juliet, you, this baby, you're my first priority, my family. Everything else is second."

"Will you say that when I'm really big?" She moved her arms out a foot.

"I'll have to think about it." He was imagining her with a big belly, his child growing inside. He couldn't think of a prettier sight. "Can I tell everyone?"

She gave a shy nod.

"We're having a baby!" he whooped.

"Congratulations!" Sal hollered from the garage.

Juliet and Dean laughed. Dean had forgotten about Hal.

Juliet regained her composure, using her fingers to wipe her tears of laughter. "Do you want to call them right now?"

Dean knew Juliet was talking about Sam and Caleb. He wanted to tell them in person, but he couldn't wait for the weekend. The weekend could be spent celebrating.

"I suggest a conference call." Juliet had her hand on the office phone.

He got Sam on the line first on his cell phone. He should have been on his way to class. He was frenzied but happy with following through on his dreams of law school.

"Sam, hold on for a second."

Dean dialed Caleb next. He had no idea where Damien would be, just that he was not on Brotherhood business. Caleb had been branching out with his life—painting and Tri-Corp.

"Hey, I have Sam on the line, too," Dean announced.

_"Were we scheduled for a phone meeting?" _Sam asked.

_"What's wrong?" _Caleb asked at the same time.

"Paranoid much? Can't I just call without having a reason?"

_"What are you, a girl?"_ Caleb replied.

Dean caught Juliet's eyes. She frowned, then placed her hands on her hips. "I resent that."

_"Hi, Juliet," _Sam said in a warm voice.

_"Sorry, present girl excluded. I see what Josh means about speakerphone,"_ Caleb quipped._ "Are you two running off to Vegas finally?_

"No," Dean answered. For an unconventional guy, Caleb could be so traditional sometimes. "You two better come down this weekend with some Cubans."

_"When you say Cubans you mean—" Sam started. _Because of law school he was always looking at the ulterior meaning of things.

_"_Cigars," Dean further explained. "You're going to be uncles again."

_"Josh and Carolyn are pregnant? That's a surprise since Max is a handful,"_ Caleb added.

Juliet poked him. "Because of you."

"That's not going to be our kid," Dean whispered back. "No, Juliet and I."

_"Are what?"_

He didn't know if Sam and Caleb were being purposefully obtuse. Unintentionally, he raised his voice, "I'm pregnant."

_"What? Were you hit by a curse?" _Sam sounded panicked.

"I'm the pregnant one, the girl," Juliet said into the phone clearly, then turned to Dean. "Do I need to know something?"

He shrugged his shoulders. They had heard the tall tales of hunters being cursed to carry babies when they had wronged a witch, but so far none had been corroborated.

_"Holy sh—. Sorry, Juliet. Man, wow, congratulations." _Sam was stunned.

Like Dean, maybe more so, he never thought Dean would have a kid. However, Dean thought this was exactly what was needed to give Sam hope about what his future could have.

_"I'm bringing a case of cigars and some scotch," _Caleb said loudly in excitement._ "Guess that means that dream that you'll dump Deuce and runaway with me is never going to happen."_

Juliet smiled, an eyebrow lifted. "If you bring me some chocolates with those cigars and scotch for you boys, then you never know."

_"Were we the first ones to know?" _Caleb asked_._

Dean should have lied, but it slipped out in all the merriment. "That would be Sal."

_"Sal, your employee?" _Sam clarified.

"Well, I'm going to get back to work," Juliet interrupted, having perfect timing. "I have to call my mom and dad, but that can't be on a conference call."

Juliet navigated being a child of divorce very well with her parents. It helped that neither lived nearby so she could not be accused of playing favorites. He kissed her, extended it when she tried to pull away until he heard the phone speaker.

_"What are you two doing, as if I can't guess?" _Caleb's voice came through loud and clear.

"Bye, boys. I'll see you this weekend." Juliet waved to the phone, caught herself, then shook her head.

Dean watched her leave. In the background he could hear Caleb and Sam having a conversation about him involving getting him drunk. "This is not a bachelor party."

_"Close enough. We're talking about another Winchester. Maybe we should go to Vegas?" _Caleb suggested.

_"Are you okay?" _Sam asked._ "Sure, you're okay, but it must have been unexpected." _

He wasn't going into the whole story about how he thought Juliet was dying at first. This was a surprise, and it was better this way. "Sometimes not knowing what's coming is better than planning it."


	5. Winchester Legacy:When The Worst Happens

When The Worst Happens

By: Tidia

Beta: Gatorpez

Notes: Ridley has a story coming soon that will end our summer with the future Triad. We have to start working on the new season. There is limited fluff in this story. Thank you to reviewers, readers and people who put the fics/author alerts. It is all appreciated!

Dean was resting in the backseat of Caleb's Chevy Suburban. Caleb was driving, keeping an eye on his friend while distracting Ben. They had gone on a simple harpy hunt, and Ben had been a willing student. He begged Dean, then Caleb, to let him come.

Dean hadn't been so convinced. Ben had only been with them a year and Caleb had started training him when Ben said he was interested in being a part of The Brotherhood. He was in charge of training as The Knight. Caleb had bonded with Ben; saw himself in the teen when he came to Mac a little lost.

Caleb backed Ben up, and told Dean it was time his son got some experience, especially with dealing as something as easy as a harpy. He winced as he thought about the conversation.

"You're talking like a father, not The Guardian."

Dean had brushed his fingers through his hair. "Damien, you have no idea what you're talking about."

It was true. Caleb was not a father, but he took his job as uncle and caretaker to the Winchesters seriously. "I'm talking about my nephew. He wants to hunt. He's already come with me to take care of some poltergeists and came back fine. Not a scratch. We have to train them, let them get some experience." By them, he meant eventually Max, JT and James. He knew that Dean had made a deal with Juliet that the boys would be given a choice, and Caleb would not push them either. Yet, it was inevitable they would at least want to have some experience before making a decision.

"I'm not my father," Dean said with a quiet intensity. It had always been Dean's worry to steer clear of the John Winchester style of parenting. Caleb thought that watching Dean with his boys was what his mentor would have been like had the supernatural not touched his life. Dean was proof that despite what he had been through, he could be an exemplary parent.

"I didn't say you were Johnny. I'm not him either." Caleb thought about what he was like as The Knight. There were some lessons he took to heart, but others he had his own spin on. "I hope I'm not."

"I'm not, you're not," Dean added. "I want things to be different for them."

"They already are." They lived in a house they would know all their lives with two parents who were available for their kids. "So I can tell Ben he's coming?" Caleb placed an arm around Dean's shoulder with the contact he could see that he had won The Guardian over.

"Yep, he's coming." Dean shook his head. "Tell _your buddy_, _my son_, that I'm not always going to be a pushover."

Now Caleb drove with regrets about his leniency. The glow of the street light hit Ben's pale face echoing the mistake Caleb had made. This teen was so different from the teen a day ago. That Ben, usually self–contained, was excited with a sudden talkative nature. This Ben, with his continuing glances to the backseat, was hollow and scared.

"Dad?" Ben's voice cracked with tiredness and emotions.

Caleb was going to answer, but Dean rallied, forgoing his pain and tiredness. "Ben, I'm fine. Jus' resting."

"I'm sorry." Ben shifted in his seat as much as the seatbelt would allow facing his father.

Dean's upper body was propped up, but he moved further up with an arm around his ribs. "You've got to stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong. You did Caleb and me a favor. Right?" The last word came out with a hint of a groan attached to it.

"Sure, you drew her out so we could take her down." Caleb helped Dean take the blame away from Ben. It was not his fault at all.

Ben bowed his head. "I froze."

"You had never seen a harpy before," Caleb explained, forgetting that depictions of the creatures were not the same as seeing them in person. Poltergeists still looked like a person so in assuming that poltergeist hunts were the same as hunting other supernatural beings he had set Ben to fail.

"Fugly," Dean added.

"But you got hurt saving me." Ben's voice sounded like he was restraining himself from crying.

Dean tried to diffuse the situation with some humor. "Yeah, I wish it had been Damien too."

The harpy with its long, light colored, nappy hair had a human female torso covered in feathers. It was the large, molted wings and sharp claws that were the greatest threat. The harpy saw Ben in the clearing and came right at him. It was at this point that Ben was supposed to shoot it with the iron rod. That didn't happen. Dean ran out to tackle his son, and ended up being picked up by the harpy instead. She carried him up, and Caleb had a moment to decide to shoot to risk his friend's fall to the ground or find another solution. His other solution of breaking cover worked better, but did not save Dean from injury. "Me too."

Dean slid his body forward over the leather seats and stuck his hand through the front seat area of the SUV. His hand rested on his son's shoulder. "This line of work is dangerous. You need to understand that, Ben. If you don't want to be involved, you don't have to be."

"I know, Dad." It was a noncommittal answer.

The car was quiet again as Dean rested back into his position in the backseat. Dean was not initiating conversation because this time he truly was asleep, not just closing his eyes with the pain medication and trauma sapping him.

Caleb stretched his senses to Ben. The teen was undecided on whether he wanted to pursue being a hunter. He wanted to impress his father, connect to him, but he also wanted to be a doctor for his mom.

"He means what he said. He won't stop loving you if you don't want to do this anymore." Caleb wanted to provide Ben with some assurances of his father's sincerity.

Ben shook his head. "You're helping people. I want to do that. I was just –"

"Scared." Caleb filled in the blank for his nephew. "I am too. You would have to be crazy not to be scared of all this." Caleb waved his hand, then caught the blood stain on his cuff. He hadn't washed it all out.

"Dad isn't scared."

What Ben saw was his father's adaptability to a situation. He had to learn that as a kid and as an adult it was a good trait, but one that in his son's eyes made him look fearless. "Of course he is. He has a lot more to be scared about now."

The car came to a stop as close to the front door as Caleb could get without taking out the flower beds.

Dean awoke with a groan as he noticed the lack of motion.

"Go open the door. We'll be there in a minute," Caleb ordered Ben, wanting to give Dean some time to focus and manage the pain.

Ben hesitated. "I can help. I think you need help."

"Son, we're fine. Go open the door and try not to wake everyone up." Dean gave his son a nod in the darkness of the vehicle.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Ben caught the door before it slammed and gave it a ginger shove until it clicked shut.

Caleb opened the backdoor, the overhead light shined down on Dean accentuating his pale skin and the blueness of the scrub top the hospital had given him after the destruction of his shirt.

"Thanks, man. Give me a hand." Dean reached his hand out, which Caleb grasped.

With a heave Caleb got Dean on his feet and placed an arm around his back to brace his friend. "He's worried about you."

"I know." Dean swallowed. "First time the kid has seen me banged up." They made their way to the door in halting steps.

"Dude, you are not 'banged up.' We went to the ER." The wounds were something Caleb could have handled, but he had been worried about the concussion. Ben was also a concern. He wanted his father to go to a hospital to allay his fears.

"But I wasn't admitted." Dean huffed.

"Because you begged them not to." Dean should have remained in the hospital, but Caleb read his mind and Ben's to know that it would be detrimental to Dean's family. If he stayed in the hospital every time he was injured then they would be worried. They would also have a fear when he left home to hunt. There was enough of that already from Juliet. Dean mentioned to Caleb that Juliet slept with one of his shirts when he was gone. "Cried like a baby until I said that you would be well taken care of."

"Cried like a baby?" Ben repeated as he waited for them on the porch, overhearing their conversation.

"Ben, just hold the door open." Ben literally leaped to the door and opened it for his father and Caleb. "Thanks, Dude." Dean patted the top of Ben's head.

"I can wake up Juliet if you want?" Ben hovered nearby, moving ahead to clear any encumbrances. There were none between the door and the kitchen, just an errant shoe belonging to JT.

"Let her sleep, Ben. I'll see her in the morning. Why don't you get cleaned up and call it a night, too?" Dean was keeping his voice soft and reassuring. It was so unlike John who was prickly when hurt.

The kid looked beat, but still was hesitant to tear himself away from his father. He had already lost a mother, could not risk another parent. Ben moved his gaze to Caleb. "Are you staying here?"

Again Ben reminded Caleb of himself, checking to make sure his family, the people he cared about that cared about him are intact. "Yes, Ace, I'll watch over your old man."

They watched Ben climb the stairs. Dean rested his head against his fist in tiredness.

"Deuce-"

Dean lifted a finger to his mouth then pointed up.

They would need to be quiet for awhile to make sure Ben had truly gone to bed. They waited until the toilet flushed, then the creek of wood that Ben was making his way down the hallway. All the time Caleb listened and watched Dean who didn't move from his perch resting at the kitchen table.

"Damien, I am not making it up those stairs tonight."

In the past Dean would never admit he was hurt. In the present there were too many people to out maneuver. "What about Juliet?" She was not involved in The Brotherhood, but she would notice Dean's lack of presence when she had been expecting him home. Caleb thought she should have known about the hospital visit, but Dean ordered him not to call her with useless worrying.

"She'll be downstairs in a minute," his friend answered.

Caleb scoffed. Ben had made the most noise, but that would be considered normal in house. "I am as quiet as a ninja."

"Not to her." Dean pointed to his ears. "She has mom ears."

"Guest bedroom?" Caleb suggested the room on the first floor towards the back of the house.

"Yeah," Dean replied, but did not move until Caleb hoisted him back to his feet. Once they got into the room, Dean sat on the edge of the bed blinking owlishly as sleep began to pull him.

"I'll take the couch," Caleb announced at the same time he sensed Juliet's presence behind him.

"You can take our room." Juliet, wearing a short, fluffy, pink bathrobe that came to her knees, dark hair pulled up in a ponytail on the top of her head. Her gaze was focused on Dean. In her eyes there was a flickering of many emotions. Caleb made a promise to Juliet long ago that he would respect her privacy, and not read her.

"Does James wake up during the night?" James was only a year old. At first with Max, Sammy had been his reference point to babies. However, with Max, JT and James things were different. They had a mother so an uncle could just be an uncle and avoid diaper changes and feedings.

"No." The question momentarily distracted Juliet who was standing over Dean with her hand on his head. Dean was leaning into the touch.

It was a moment between the couple that required privacy. Caleb extricated himself, knowing his thoughts would keep him up for awhile. He would check on Ben first before attempting to find some rest. "See you in the morning."

Rest would be hard in coming. Caleb was already thinking, Monday morning quarterbacking, what he could have done differently. He had not done that with the other hunters he had trained. Other hunters hadn't had the same connection. They were also older like Bradley and Riley, already in their twenties when their interest grew.

As a Knight John had been about pushing his apprentice no matter that he was young. He did the same with his sons, but for Caleb it was going to have to be different. He became gun shy when he saw the aftermath of the risk. He was going to be careful with the younger generation.

* * *

When Dean woke up it was to another's presence in the room. With the intake of air his body was slowly catching up with alarms of pain and stiffness. He shifted up. Sitting, staring at him intently was JT, unnaturally still for a boy his age. Juliet allowed JT to use the guest bedroom on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons because he tended to wake up earlier, and both of them valued being able to sleep in on occasion.

JT was unblinking with fear in his eyes. Dean's bruises must have bloomed spectacularly on his torso. The sheet had slipped down during the night. Dean did not want to break eye contact with his son, but moved the sheet back into place so it covered the bandages and bruises.

"Juliet, we have company."

Juliet turned over from where she was sleeping on her side. "Come here, Big Guy."

JT shook his head, still no sound. Juliet sat up and picked JT up. "Here, honey, you can take my place right there." She set him down where she had been sleeping.

Dean was hoping Juliet would deal with their son and let him find some peace. "Where are you going?" he whispered. Juliet looked like she could still use some sleep, too.

"I'm going to check on the baby." She squeezed his foot. "Don't worry about me. Do you need anything?"

"Some water?" As he talked more he noticed that his throat was dry and filled with the metallic taste of blood.

"Okay, go back to sleep." She crept out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Dean turned his head to see JT was still staring at him. He understood what Juliet was doing. Only he would be able to help his son remove the scared expression. There were many times Dean compared himself to his father. Dean had done exactly what JT was doing to his father when he was young. He was worried about his parent, the only one he had. Dean could kid himself and think that if something happened to him at least they would have Juliet, but to a child that was not enough. Dean gestured for JT to move closer to him. "You won't hurt me. I promise."

JT seemed to think about this for a moment, and scooted next to Dean's arm, thankfully not the one the harpy had clawed into as deeply.

"Do you want to watch cartoons?" Dean said with a yawn, trying the tactic of treating this like any other day instead of the day he came home noticeably physically hurt.

JT shook his head into Dean's arm. Dean moved his arm so it was wrapped around JT's shoulders. "It's okay. Please don't be scared."

He remembered that ferocious emotion and carried it with him. He needed to tell his son he understood. He could not explain to JT how his father had returned to help him, even though he had to rise from Hell to do so. Then there was his angel's experience. He thought about mimicking his mother and telling his son that angels were watching over him. Those concepts were too sophisticated for a child. Dean wanted JT to accept the other meaning- he would always physically be there. He would always come back for his children. "I'm not going to leave you, ever."

They remained in the quietness and fell asleep.

The next time Dean awoke it was to activity in the house. There was a soft knock on the door, which jolted JT awake. "Hey, hey, you're with Daddy," he soothed. "Come in."

Ben entered with his dark hair sticking up, boxer shorts and old, worn t-shirt proclaiming him as taking part in a hike. "Dad, how are you? Are you okay?"

Dean sighed, scooted up and JT did the same, but without putting any weight on his father.

"What's JT doing here?"

"He came in to watch cartoons, but ended up falling asleep." Dean gave the short explanation. Dean gave a quick glance to the alarm clock. "I think we missed a few, but we can still catch some of them. You want to join us?"

Ben wrinkled his forehead. "Cartoons? No. Shouldn't you be resting? You're hurt. We went to the hospital. . ."

His older son was panicking, seemingly reliving the time with his mother being sick and needed hospitalization. JT moved his knees up and wrapped his arms around them as if to protect himself. "Ace, calm down. Have a seat."

Dean moved forward and although it was a painful movement he rubbed his son's back for a moment until he calmed down. "Dude, talk to me. What are you thinking about?"

"Mom, my mom."

Dean went back to his position of having the headboard support him. He pulled JT closer and kissed the top of his head. "This isn't like that, Ben. I'm going to get better. I am better already. This stuff happens, it's a dangerous gig. I told you that."

Ben sniffed and wiped under his nose with his hand. "I didn't think when I saw the . . ., then you were hurt and I can't lose you, too."

"I promise you aren't going to lose me," Dean said it with ease, but there was a tsunami of worry waiting to crash through with the expectation he had set. "But, I'm still going to hunt, and this might happen again."

Ben nodded. Dean was grateful his son hadn't asked him to give it all up. His son surprised him by giving him a hug. JT wanted to be a part of it, too and hugged his father's side. It was at that total chick-flick, Winchester men moment that Caleb entered.

"Maybe next time you want to tell me that James Murphy Winchester wakes up at God's hour." Caleb was thankfully ignoring the emotions in the room.

Baby James waved his hand. "Dada!" He pushed at Caleb. "Down!"

"You didn't ask that question," Dean explained. He usually got up with James in the morning to allow Juliet some sleeping in time or James came into their room.

"The kid's hard to entertain. I thought about showing him the magazines that are still hiding in Ben's room," Caleb said as he placed James on the bed and he made his way over to Dean.

Ben pinked up at the embarrassment, but didn't comment on the stash of old Playboys. He tried to block James's wobbly walk on the bed. "What if he moves and hurts you."

The comment had JT reacting too, and holding out his arms for James to come to him.

Dean gently put JT's hands down. "Ben, I'm not incapacitated. I can outmaneuver a 1 year old."

James stopped halfway and sat by Dean's legs. "Go play?"

Dean noticed that Caleb watched the exchange and lifted his eyebrows. Caleb cleared his throat. "Like I told you last night-nothing is going to happen to your dad on my watch. I didn't put up with all this shit this long to not have him go through _your_ teen years, and your brothers."

"Shit," James repeated.

Caleb rubbed a hand down his face. "No one say anything. Just ignore it." Caleb turned to Ben, reaching out and placing a hand on Dean's eldest shoulder. "I don't want you to lose faith-in me, in your dad and uncle, in The Brotherhood."

Ben nodded. His emotions were so evident to Dean, like Caleb he was afraid to lose what he had gained. He was glad Caleb was close to Ben. His older son seemed to talk to Caleb on the limited subjects he did not want to breach with Dean.

"Shit," James said to the nervous room.

"What happens in this room stays in this room. Got it?" Caleb looked at all the Winchester men.

Dean smothered a laugh. They would rat him out to save themselves if scrutinized by Juliet.

"I was sent in to tell you that breakfast is ready. Juliet made special waffles." Caleb lifted his arms out to James, who always wanted to be carried around. James crawled to his uncle and was scooped up. "Come on JT. I'll give you a piggyback ride. Climb on."

JT shook his head.

"That's okay, Damien." Dean placed a hand on top of JT's blond head. "We'll be there in a minute."

"You're coming out for breakfast?" Caleb asked with doubt.

Dean wanted to stay in bed, but with an audience that was impossible. Back in the day he could bunker down in a hotel room and lick his wounds, but those days were long gone. "I'll be out in a minute." He needed to heed nature's call. It would be a slow process.

Caleb seemed to have figured it out. They had been injured so much in the past; they understood the aches and pains of the next day were worse than the trauma of the original injury. "Ben, take your brother. I'll wait with JT."

Ben took James and carried him out, but not without looking back.

"Save me some waffles, especially the chocolate chip ones," Dean said to get his son to leave the room feeling reassured and normal.

"You need some help old man?" Caleb held out his hand by the side of the bed.

Dean wasn't just ready to move that much. "I need a Vic- an aspirin is what I need." He wanted the hard drugs, but with a set of little ears lingering, and Caleb's mistake earlier, he didn't think it was wise to add any more new words.

"Here." Caleb put a pill in his hand. "Juliet sent me in with them."

A glass of water was on the nightstand, left by Juliet. "That's my woman." Dean swallowed the pills, chasing it down with the water, which he finished. He remained where he was, JT still by his side to let the medication take some effect.

"Sam called," Caleb said with a wry expression.

"Did you tell him?" Dean almost did not want his brother to know, but they had promised no more secrets.

Caleb gave a quick nod of the head. "That would be an affirmative."

"And?" Dean was already wincing at Sam's reaction.

Caleb placed his fist over his mouth, then let it drop. "He thinks that only hunters without families should be in the field."

Dean shook his head. Sam was protective of Dean's family unit, wanting Dean to have everything he deserved as Sam had once said. What his brother wanted now was impossible. They all had families. "That would leave us a bit shorthanded."

"He's researching it." Caleb shrugged.

His brother would not let an idea go once it was formed. The dogged determination was great for a lawyer and Scholar, but hard for Dean to live up to. "Doesn't he have enough to do?"

"This is _you_ were talking about. He'll be here this afternoon."

Dean was not going to stop Sam while he was in motion. He would have to prepare for his brother's visit, foist the kids on him for awhile. He put out his arm for Caleb to hoist him up to standing as the Vicodin had taken effect.

When Caleb was confident Dean was going to remain standing he released him. "Hit the head, then you can make it slowly to the kitchen. I'll wait with my man, JT."

JT was still silent. Dean did a half turn, enough that he had to suppress a groan from his protesting muscles. "Hey Buddy; I'm just going right there." He gestured to the bathroom.

"Your dad's going to be fine." Caleb sat down on the bed with his hand. "Just a few scrapes, like your knee. How did it happen?"

Dean went into the bathroom, leaving it slightly open. He could hear the one sided conversation.

"Do you want to go swimming today?"

"How about going to the park?"

"Have a water balloon fight with Ben and Uncle Sam?"

Caleb was freaking out at JT's silence. Dean had a toothbrush in his mouth, and moved it to talk. "Dude, calm down." When Caleb did not answer he made the clarification, "I'm talking to you, Damien. It's not like when I was a kid."

He rinsed his mouth, trying to rid himself of the moldy taste in his mouth. Juliet had also left a pair of sweat pants and a plaid, button down shirt. All clothes were easy to get in and out of. He hunched over to ease his ribs and made his way to the bathroom door. Caleb looked desperate for interaction with his young nephew, drawing a face on his hand and pretending it could talk.

"Maybe JT will draw you a picture? He made a picture of a mouse a couple of days ago at school." Dean suggested.

JT frowned at his father. He opened his mouth, then closed it, surveying his father once more before talking. "It was not a mouse. It was a rabbit, Daddy."

Dean knew JT could not resist defending his pictures, especially when animals were involved. The youngster liked to correct his father. When Ben arrived, then soon after James, JT hadn't complained, but there was a distinct loss of attention. It culminated in an incident where JT was missing for two hours, found sleeping in Dean's shored boat. Dean made it a point to be a part of his son's interests. As of now it was drawing, but T-ball was coming up soon. "It had long ears?"

JT nodded.

"Uncle Caleb likes to draw pictures, too," Dean prompted. He always looked for some shared trait with his children in order to relate to them. He wanted them to be parallels to them, but without the drama, more laughter less upsets. Their lives were already so different than his.

"I can draw you some more dragons." Caleb liked to reminisce with Dean's children, and Max to connect them together. The dragons had been so important to Caleb, Dean and Sam, and Caleb wanted them to be important to Ben, JT and James.

"Can you draw one for Daddy, too?" JT asked because Dean was the one JT wanted to have feel better. Even as a toddler JT showed empathy for others.

"Sure, Kiddo." Caleb ruffled the boy's hair with a big grin. "Can you help me with it?"

JT gave his uncle a hug as a response. Caleb was a little surprised, and put his arms around JT.

"So does that piggyback ride sound like a good idea now?' Caleb suggested, shifting JT so he was holding onto Caleb's back.

It sounded like a great idea to Dean. He wouldn't be able to pickup his little men for awhile. JT reached out, and grabbed a fistful of Dean's button down to stay connected to his father. His smile was tentative; Dean could still see the fear.

Dean put his hand on top of his son's. "I'm here."

They remained in the guest room. Caleb turned to face Dean. "I'm sorry; this is harder than I thought."

Dean smiled because having children had seemed to natural and effortless. Juliet and he were lucky since they had so much assistance. Being a hunter, having children with a future as hunters, hadn't been an issue until now. "This changes everything. I don't know how Dad did it." That wasn't the truth. He knew how his father was able to hunt. He had Dean taking care of Sam, and the hunt was an obsession to the detriment of family life. There had to be a balance. "What if the harpy had gotten a hold of Ben?" Dean squeezed JT's hand, wondering what JT would be like at Ben's age.

"We're not going to let anything happen to them." Caleb placed his hand on top of Dean's, covering JT's hand in totality in a solemn promise. "They'll be protected."

No son of his was going to be after a poltergeist at ten years old, so filled with fear of being alone to thwart the supernatural. Whatever needed to be taught would be done in a controlled environment with supervision. "We'll do it differently."

Caleb nodded, then gave a horse-like whiny that made JT smile.


End file.
